Cooking with Maintankadin

[phaqueue]

Since they haven't been mentioned yet... spiedies are something to try for those out there who love grilling...

It's easily one of the best store-bought marinades you can get, but it can be hard to find...

The "correct" way to eat it is to take meat of your choice (generally chicken or beef, but pork and turkey work ok) and cut into cubes. Then you marinate the cubes in the Spiedie Marinade for 12-24 hours. Put the cubes of meat onto skewers then grill until cooked. Take off skewers and enjoy - usually when eaten in Endicott, NY (where they are from) you pull the spiedies off the skewer with a piece of italian bread... and top with mustard if desired...

it's really a unique taste... that can't be described

Another thing I like is to make a stir-fry of sorts... don't really have a name for it - I take some steaks, cut into small cubes and saute with some red onions and green peppers in worstechire sauce with a little bit of liquid smoke, in a separate pan... fry some potatoes (I fry them in some butter and garlic), when the steak and veggies are well cooked, add to the potatoes and cooko until the potatoes are done, then enjoy, came out pretty well for me...

Another good recipe (got this one from my mother... though she doesn't really use a set recipe for it) is (she cals it spanish rice - I really doubt it's anywhere near spanish though - seems more italian).
Take 1 box of minute rice, 1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce, 1 (8 oz) can of crushed tomatoes, 8 oz water, oregano, parsley, and whatever veggies/meat you want (I use ground beef [brown first], onions, green peppers, and jalapenos - you can also add things like fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, etc) Put all in a large deep skillet or pot and cook covered on low heat for about 20 min (or until rice is tender)

[Khadis]

I love grilling and my wife loves to cook. I have yet to have a bad meal prepared by either of us.

She's Russian and she cooks some of the best russian food in the world. Her specialty is Borsch (which is very very delicous) and
"pork balls" (Cubed Pork and chicken rolled into balls with bread, onions, and various spices). Cant wait to get back home and have some.

Im a grill man myself. When I lived in SC, I was a big fan of John boy and Billy's grillin sauce on my chicken. For Ribs I like to smoke them with hickory and add just a little bit of Dry rubb to them. MMMMMMM

Im also a big fan of Kabobs, Pulled pork(YUM), Pilaf, and anything containing Beef.

[mew]

If you are looking for anything healthy, go with a lot of beans.
I made a turkey chilli once (Vanifae hated it, he had to buff it up with a lot of chilli powder and cheese) that was ground turkey, 3 different kinds of beans, tomatoes, celery, etc. It was much more like a bean soup and I enjoyed it, but I think more chilli powder was all it needed to taste more like chilli.
Lentil soup is also very very good for you.
I often refuse to cook anything that is extremely bad for me =( The other week I made quiches. I made my semi-healthy quiche (spinach, onions, mushrooms, very little cheese) and Vanifae's manly heartattack quiche (spicy sausage, bacon, onions, mushrooms, regular quiche amounts of cheese ~1/2c).

Just avoid fatty meats (beef and pork), too many high starch vegetables (potatoes, corn, maybe carrots), oil, and excess sugar.
Eat more green veggies, beans, white meats (fish and chicken, eggs are pretty good too in moderation), and fruits or lowfat yogurts for sweets. I also take multivitamins when I diet because I don't eat balanced at all

[Isetnefret]

I only follow a vague recipe for chili, which looks similar to Lore's.


However, mine differs because I like to incorporate black beans as well.

Also, like Vanifae, I'm a fan of the spicy. I use a liberal amount of cilantro, FRESH jalapeños, and maybe chipotles but that doesn't jive with the flavor I'm going with.

Then, I go pretty far outside the norm by adding 2-3 limes worth of lime juice....maybe more.

I've thought about trying some guajillo peppers instead, but I think it would change the flavor a bit too much to work with the lime/cilantro method.

[Vanifae]

Oooooh Lime and cilantro... mmm that sounds tasty.

[Isetnefret]

You would actually be surprised (or maybe not) what what lime can do for the flavor of a good jalapeño.

[katraya]

I enjoy cooking and my boyfriend used to be a chef, so there is always something yummy to be had at our house. I think cooking is what made me fall for him. I went to his house one day for brunch and next thing you knew I was naked.

He does a lot of grilling and cream based pasta sauces. One of the things he does is leg of lamb on the grill with a bunch of tarragon. It is so yummy. Another specialty of his is mashed sweet potatoes which he does with cream, garlic and brown sugar. It is to die for.

I've been known to make a pretty good Borcht too, and I always have to make it in large quantities since it is so time consuming. It comes out a bit differently each time because I've never really followed one recipes, I just take what I like from various ones and make it up as I go along.

There are two super easy chicken recipes that I like to make that look like they're much fancier than they are:

First one uses chicken thighs (also cheap) with bone and skin still on. You lay them out in a pan and drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Then you take a whole head of garlic and break that up and throw it in the pan with the skin still on it. Cook uncovered until the chicken is done. Serve this with some crusty bread to smear the roasted garlic on and enjoy. Everyone I have made this for is a big fan.

Second one uses thighs or drumsticks, again with bone and skin usually. You take a big bowl and put a bunch of olive oil in. Maybe like 1/4 to 1/2 cup? I never measure. Then you add a bunch of paprika (maybe 1-2 TBs), a teaspoon or so of cinnamon, and a dash or two of cayenne. Mix this all up and taste to see if you think it needs more of any of the spices. You can add a bit of salt but the paprika gives it a salty taste anyway so go gentle with it. When you have the taste the way you want toss the chicken pieces and a whole Vidallia onion chopped up into maybe 1 inch pieces in the bowl and make sure they get well coated. Bake until cooked through. I usually serve this with rice and "Latino Blend" frozen mixed veg (black beans, corn, onion, etc.)

Damn it, now I am hungry...

[Isetnefret]

Another specialty of his is mashed sweet potatoes which he does with cream, garlic and brown sugar.

YES PLEASE!

[katraya]

Another specialty of his is mashed sweet potatoes which he does with cream, garlic and brown sugar.

YES PLEASE!

The actual "recipe" as written to send to my Dad after he visited us:

Boil the potatoes until tender.
Sautee garlic in olive oil until brown.
Add some white wine and reduce.
Add salt and pepper
Add heavy whipping cream and reduce to about half of the original volume.
Add brown sugar.

Mash the cream mixture into the potatoes and enjoy!


We're lucky in that we live in a decent sized city with good markets and ethnic foods. We have several farmers market to choose from, a greek wholesaler, awesome authentic Mexican food on the corner, and a few Asian grocery stores for fresh veggies and meats/fish. There are also several festivals every summer steps from our house - Polish, Latino and Ukranian. We go there and eat and drink ourselves silly and then stumble home.

Oh and for those of you who said you like Cilantro:
Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cilantro-Cabbage Slaw
Freaking amazing recipe I had almost forgotten about.

My frozen Lean Cuisine meal is going to be a very disappointing lunch now.

[Arcand]

My frozen Lean Cuisine meal is going to be a very disappointing lunch now.

Which one are you having? I've got the canneloni with the white cheese goo.

[katraya]

My frozen Lean Cuisine meal is going to be a very disappointing lunch now.

Which one are you having? I've got the canneloni with the white cheese goo.

Chicken Enchilada with white goo that claims to be sour cream.

Tonight will make up for it though. I'm making a huge batch of homemade Mac and Cheese which I serve with stewed tomatoes. Tomorrow I'll have yummy leftovers for lunch instead!

[Falibard]

I make an amazing turkey burger.

[Aubade]

My frozen Lean Cuisine meal is going to be a very disappointing lunch now.

Which one are you having? I've got the canneloni with the white cheese goo.

Chicken Enchilada with white goo that claims to be sour cream.

Tonight will make up for it though. I'm making a huge batch of homemade Mac and Cheese which I serve with stewed tomatoes. Tomorrow I'll have yummy leftovers for lunch instead!

mmmmmmmm /drool

[Euphoria]

Alton Brown made some chili once where he used crushed tortilla chips instead of beans. I've always been curious to make it and see what it was like. Lore, get on it.

Interestingly enough...I'm not a chili nut, but once read a thread (on another gaming forum) where a few chili die-hards were claiming that "real" chili didn't use any beans at all.

Anyone else familiar with this theory?

Beans or rice are considered in some chili circles to be "filler" and to distract from the true flavor of the dish. Most of the chili cookoffs I've ever entered don't allow either in competition chili.

I use a combination of sirloin, ground beef, and andouille sausage in my chili, along with the appropriate quantities of tomatoes. If I'm going for speed I'll use 1/4 of the seasonings to start, add 1/2 (of the total quantity) about halfway through cooking, and the rest about 10 minutes before I declare it done. This is called bombing the chili and really makes the spices pop, not as much of the aromatics get lost to the air and it makes for a better flavor. At home, since I do agree that the consistency of beans distracts from the experience so I blend them into a paste in the food processor. They make a great thickener/filler and cut down on costs.

I also serve with a little grated cheddar and a dollop of sour cream to help cut the heat from the andouille and red pepper.

Damn, I'm hungry now.

[Arcand]

Tonight will make up for it though. I'm making a huge batch of homemade Mac and Cheese which I serve with stewed tomatoes. Tomorrow I'll have yummy leftovers for lunch instead!

My family likes KD better than my made-from-scratch mac and cheese with tomatoes and seasoning salt on top.

That, sirs, is a kick in the nuts.